Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2These are the parts The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power leaves out in recounting the Elves’ war against Morgoth. Though Amazon’s The Rings of Power takes place predominantly within J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age, episode 1 opens far earlier, showing a young Galadriel in Valinor during the Years of the Trees. A whistle-stop history lesson sequence then recounts how the evil villain Morgoth destroyed the trees Telperion and Laurelin, and the Elves waged a long war against him in Middle-earth before eventually claiming victory after heavy losses.
Galadriel’s recollection of events adapts Tolkien’s mythology in the broadest possible sense. While Morgoth did indeed destroy the Two Trees of Valinor, and the Elves did indeed clash against the OG Dark Lord in Middle-earth, The Rings of Power censors out a litany of important events and battles for brevity and simplicity’s sake.
Amazon’s narrative leaves enough room to imply the following might’ve occurred off-screen, and a conversation between Elrond and Celebrimbor in The Rings of Power episode 2 suggests the history Galadriel omitted is still canon to the show, even if it wasn’t mentioned during the introduction. Here are the chapters that were apparently missing from Galadriel’s copy of The Silmarillion…
The Silmarils & Oath Of Fëanor
Considering The Rings of Power is heavily based upon sections of The Silmarillion, it’s strange that Galadriel’s history lesson glosses over the Silmarils themselves entirely. In his efforts to capture the beauty of Telperion and Laurelin, Fëanor – the greatest smith the Elves would ever produce – forged three jewels called the Silmarils, unmatched in beauty across Middle-earth and beyond. So coveted were the Silmarils, Fëanor grew increasingly possessive of them, and was aghast when Morgoth stole the Silmarils before escaping to Middle-earth (around the time he also destroyed the Two Trees). Fëanor and his sons swore the infamous Oath of Fëanor, pledging to never rest until the Silmarils were reclaimed, and to violently oppose any who stood in their path. The way Galadriel tells it in The Rings of Power, the Elves pursued Morgoth in revenge for destroying the trees. In truth, his theft of the Silmarils was the larger reason behind their journey from Valinor to Middle-earth.
Weirdly, The Rings of Power drops several hints that the Silmarils and Oath of Fëanor are still TV-canon. While Galadriel’s voiceover narrates, Elves are seen offering their swords in a circle, which looks distinctly like Fëanor’s sons taking their oath. Then, during The Rings of Power episode 2, Elrond and Celebrimbor discuss the Silmarils and the violence they wrought, which seemingly confirms this bloody chapter of history still happened, and somewhat contradicts Galadriel’s version of events from the previous episode.
Morgoth’s Manipulation Of The Elves In Valinor
The Rings of Power hops straight from “oh no, Morgoth destroyed our trees” to all-out war, but the seeds of conflict had actually been sown long beforehand. Morgoth had already dominated Middle-earth back when the first Elves had only just awakened, but was eventually dragged kicking and screaming back to Valinor by his fellow Valar. After a period of imprisonment, Morgoth feigned repentance and was allowed to walk freely in the Undying Lands. Morgoth exploited this opportunity to create unease among the Elves, specifically Fëanor, spreading rumors that the Valar were holding Fëanor back from glory in Middle-earth, that they wanted his Silmarils, and that his own brother, Fingolfin, was planning to seize the throne. Without realizing these lies came from Morgoth, Fëanor fell for them all, leading to inter-elf strife and the unprecedented genesis of weapons in Valinor.
When Fëanor led the Elves to Middle-earth, therefore, they weren’t just heading to vanquish a great evil – they were turning their backs on the Valar because of the distrust Morgoth had woven. This better explains why the Elves didn’t simply return to their former home after the War of Wrath ended, and why permission to sail toward Valinor is such a big deal for elves like Galadriel in The Rings of Power. Morgoth’s manipulations might’ve been left out to avoid comparisons with Annatar in The Rings of Power‘s main timeline.
Morgoth’s Partner In Crime, Ungoliant
The Rings of Power‘s opening flashback reveals live-action Morgoth for the first time (or his shadow, at least) as the Two Trees of Valinor crumble to dust, but Galadriel’s story forgets how Morgoth had a very important partner during this attack – Ungoliant. A primordial dark spirit shaped like a giant spider, it was Ungoliant who sucked the light from Telperion and Laurelin, and she would abscond to Middle-earth alongside her mace-wielding friend. Their tentative alliance, predictably, didn’t last, and Ungoliant hid in Middle-earth’s dark corners as the First Age began.
For the purposes of a simpler narrative, it’s easy to see why The Rings of Power would omit Ungoliant from its history, since Morgoth was still the true mastermind behind these dark events. Nevertheless, Ungoliant plays a vital role in Middle-earth’s future, as The Lord of the Rings‘ Shelob – the spider Frodo and Sam encounter in Mordor – is one of her distant descendants.
The Kinslaying & Doom Of The Ñoldor
The Elves trip from Valinor to Middle-earth was considerably less wholesome than Galadriel remembers it in The Rings of Power‘s opening sequence. As Fëanor’s rebellion against the Valar and quest to reclaim the Silmarils began, nothing would stand in his way… not even his own kin. Requiring ships for the journey, Fëanor’s people approached the coast-dwelling Teleri elves, who duly refused to hand over their vessels. Fëanor slaughtered them in the infamous Kinslaying at Alqualondë.
Not every elf that left for Middle-earth during this period took part in the Kinslaying, and when the incident occurred, the likes of Galadriel and Finrod were already taking a path that didn’t involve committing mass murder. The Kinslaying was followed by another major event not mentioned in The Rings of Power – the Doom of the Ñoldor. Reacting to the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, the Vala Mandos appeared and handed down a prophecy that Fëanor’s house would be driven to destruction by its lust for the Silmarils, and would never reclaim the lost treasures. The Doom of Mandos continues to plague Fëanor’s descendants through to the end of Tolkien’s Second Age.
The War Of The Jewels
The Rings of Power‘s flashback only offers a brief snapshot of the centuries-long conflict between Morgoth and the Elves in Middle-earth. As told by J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, a series of battles were fought throughout the First Age, interspersed by small pockets of temporary peace. Collectively known as the War of the Jewels (another clue that the Silmarils were quite important), the first round was contested between the newly-arrived Morgoth and elves already present in Middle-earth led by King Thingol. Fëanor’s arrival triggered the second major scrap, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, which resulted in his death. The Ñoldor then put aside their squabbles and united for the Dagor Aglareb, emerging victorious with Morgoth’s main stronghold completely besieged by elves and men.
Morgoth struck back in the Dagor Bragollach and the Nírnaeth Arnoediad – both of which were essentially massacres for the Elves. The Rings of Power scenes showing Finrod surrounded by orcs and elf corpses floating through fire could both potentially depict the Dagor Bragollach. Finally, the War of Wrath arrived, lasting over 30 years and ending with Morgoth’s downfall. It’s the War of Wrath that sets up The Rings of Power‘s tentatively peaceful landscape, and the image of an eagle battling a dragon is pulled from this conclusive conflict.
Morgoth Lost Becaused Eärendil Convinced The Valar To Fight
Victory in the War of Wrath can be attributed almost entirely to Elrond’s father, Eärendil the Half-elven. A renowned mariner, Eärendil was at sea when the sons of Fëanor destroyed his home hunting for the Silmaril possessed by his wife Elwing. Though Elwing was spared by the Valar’s grace and restored to her husband’s side, their settlement was destroyed and their two sons captured. Realizing Middle-earth was floating up the Anduin without a paddle, Eärendil did the unthinkable for a mortal and sailed for Valinor, where he intended to plead for the Valar’s aid against Morgoth. His selfless courage was rewarded when the Valar agreed (some were already itching to get involved) and their arrival in the War of Wrath effectively sealed Morgoth’s fate.
The War Of Wrath Aftermath
Galadriel’s The Rings of Power exposition dump ends abruptly with the Elves’ victory, and she skips over the monumental events that transpired in the War of Wrath’s immediate aftermath. The very map of Middle-earth was reshaped due to the damage caused by Morgoth and the ensuing battles, while Eärendil’s two sons were given a choice between their elf and human heritage. Elrond chose the former and Elros the latter. Morgoth, meanwhile, was hauled back to Valinor once again, but this time ejected through the Door of Night to dwell disembodied within the Void for all eternity.
As another consequence of the War of Wrath, the Valar raised an island for the houses of men who fought on their side, which later became known as Númenor and was ruled over by Elros. With Númenor due to appear in The Rings of Power season 1 imminently, details from this period could arrive sooner rather than later.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.
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